Batgirl, not to be confused with Batwoman, is the name of several fictional super-heroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics - depicted as female counterparts to the superhero, Batman. The character debuted in Detective Comics #359 (January 1967) introduced as the daughter of police commissioner James Gordon.
Batgirl operates in Gotham City, allying herself with Batman and the original Robin, along with other masked vigilantes. The character appeared regularly in Detective Comics, Bat Family, and several other books produced by DC until 1988. In Batgirl Special #1, she retires from crime-fighting. She subsequently appeared in the graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke where, in her civilian identity, she is shot by the Joker and left paraplegic.
In the 1999 storyline "No Man's Land", the character known as Huntress, briefly assumes the role of Batgirl until she is stripped of the identity by Batman for violating his stringent codes. Within the same storyline, the character Cassandra Cain is introduced. Cain is written as the daughter of assassins and takes the mantle of Batgirl under the guidance of Batman and Oracle. In the storyline "One Year Later", she is established as a villain and head of the League Of Assassins. After receiving harsh feedback from readership, she is later restored to her original conception. However, the character originally known as Spoiler and later Robin, succeeds her as Batgirl after Cassandra Cain abandons the role.
Filming is underway for the upcoming HBO Max Batgirl movie in Glasgow, Scotland. No release date has been set as of January 2022.
